Envelop seal or fastener.



PATENTED APR. 21, 1908. B. MERRIPIBLD & W. A. PEEK.

BNVELOP SEAL OR FASTENER. APPLICATION TILED 001. 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rue name's PEfBRS co, WASHINGTON, o. c.

PATENTBD APR. 21, 1908. E. MERRIFIBLD & W. A. PEEK.

ENVELOP SEAL 0R FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED 001'. 1, 1907.

2 SHBETSSHBET 2.

702% 2613 6 6 .Zizaezz Z0229 flock Wk: 2 eZa UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ENOCH MERRIFIELD AND WILLIAM A. PEEK, OF MARYSVILLE, MONTANA; SAIDMERRIFIELD ASSIGNOR TO SAID PEEK.

E NVELOP SEAL OR FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Application filed. October 7, 1907. Serial No. 396,274.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ENooH MERRIFIELD and WILLIAM A, PEEK, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Marysville, in the county of Lewis andClark and State of Montana, have invented new and useful Improvements inEnvelop Seals or Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention relates to improve ments in devices for sealingand fastening envelop flaps, and it has for its object to provide asimple and efficient device of this charactor that is capable of beingapplied universally to envelops of various kinds, and which in practicemay be readily manipulated to lock the envelop flap in a manner thatwill not only serve or assist in the fastening of the envelop, but willalso prevent opening thereof without mutilation that will lead todetection.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of thischaracter that is capable of being manufactuerd cheaply and can bereadily applied to the envelop.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements,and combina tions and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinaftermore fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularlyin the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows an envelop of ordinary formprovided with a seal or fastener constructed in accordance with ourpresent invention, the parts being shown in unfastened position; Fig. 2is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts fastened; Fig. 3represents a transverse section of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional viewshowing the parts in fastened position; Fig. 5 is a perspectlve view ofone of the fastening members detached. from the envelop and Figs. 6 and7 are diagrammatic views illustrating the manner of manipulating theseal or fastener to lock it.

Similar parts in the several views are designated by the same numeralsof reference.

Seals or fasteners constructed in accordance with our present inventionare, as previously stated, capable of use generally in connection withenvelops and similar devices wherein it is desirable to secure the samein closed position and to prevent unauthorized access thereto, thedevices being so constructed and applied relatively to the envelop orcontainer that tampering therewith for the purpose of unfastening thesame will cause the material of the envelop or container to be somutilated as to insure detection.

In the present embodiment we have shown what we now consider to be thebest form of our invention, the device shownembodying a pair offastening members arranged respectively on the body and flap of theenvelop and adapted to cooperate when the latter is folded into closedposition. One of the members embodies an eye 1 which may be arranged oneither part of the envelop, it being preferable to secure it to the flapthereof by means of an attaching plate 2, the latter being provided withsuitable means of attachment. This plate in the present instance isarranged on the outer surface of the flap, that is to say, the surfacethereof that would be outermost when the flap is closed, the eye thereonprojecting through an opening in the flap, and the attaching flap issecured thereto by means of a suitable number of prongs or projections 3which are bent laterally from the peripheral edges of the plate and areextended through the material of the flap and finally clenched againstits inner surface. \Vhen the flap is in closed position, these clenchedprongs are wholly covered or protected so that they cannot be bent topermit the removal of the attaching plate. The cooperating member inthis instance is secured to the body of the envelop, and it comprises inthe present instance a reciprocating bolt 4 which is capable of beingmoved into locking engagement with the cooperating eye and flap. Thisbolt in the present instance is attached to the envelop by means of aguide 5 which may be of any suitable form and provided with means forattaching it to the envelop, the guide shown in the present instanceembodying an arm 6 which is adapted to engage at the inner side of theenvelop and is provided at one end with a pointed tongue 7 which isadapted to be bent laterally and extended outwardly through the materialof the envelop and finally clenched at its outer side, the opposite endof the arm being preferably provided with a loop 8 adapted to surroundthe eye on the flap thereofwhen the latter is folded into closedposition, and this loop portion is provided with a pair of tongues 9which also are adapted to be extended through the material in theenvelop end clenched at the outer side thereof. In

the present instance the tongues 9 are punched from the body of the loopportion of the guide forming an epening 10 therein to receive thecooperating eye, and the fastening tongues are extended through anopening 11 which is formed in the body of the envelop to admit the eye.The fastening tongues 7 and 9 of the guide are preferably so arranged onthe body of the en-' velop that they will be concealed by the flapthereof when the latter is in closed position as shown in Fig. 2, andtherefore, they are so protected that it is impossible to tamper withthem in an effort to open the envelop. The locking bolt 4 is guided inits movements by a pair of fingers 12 which are struck up from thelongitudinal edges of the guide and doubled parallel to the innersurface thereof so as to embrace and confine the bolt, although it willpermit a reciprocating movement thereon, and the bolt is provided with asimilar pair of fingers 13 which embrace the longitudinal edges of thearm on the guide and serve to permit reciprocating movement only to thebolt.

The bolt is preferably provided with means for retaining it in lockedand unlocked positions so as to prevent accidental fastening thereof andto retain it in locked position, the bolt in the present instance beingprovided with a pointed projection 14 at one end which is off-setlaterally of the bolt to form a shoulder 15, and it extends obliquelyrelatively to the plane of the guide, the latter being provided with apair of longitudinally spaced apertures 16 and 17 into which the pointedprojection is adapted to engage, the projection engaging the aperture,16 when the bolt is in unfastened position, and as the bolt moves intofastened position, the projection will automatically engage in theaperture 17 by reason of the flexible or resilient action of thematerial composing the bolt.

Any suitable means may be employed for efiecting the fastening of theseal, a thread or string 18 being preferably employed which is extendedthrough the opening formed between the retaining projection 14 and theguide, and then doubled, a tension on both ends of the string serving todraw the bolt into locked position and the string or thread may bedisengaged by releasing one end thereof and drawing on its other end.

Envelops provided with seals or fasteners constructed in accordance withthe present invention, are preferably supplied with the string or threadapplied thereto as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the locking bolt normallyresting in unfastened position, the pointed projection thereof engagingthe aperture 16 and the guide to prevent accidental fastening 1 thereof,and the flap of the envelop is preferably provided with a glued edge 19so that it may be firmly pasted against the back of the envelop, andthereby prevent tearing of the flap as Well as to insure a good closuretherefor, although it must be understood, of course, that the seal orfastener alone may serve to retain the flap in closed position, and inthose cases it is unnecessary to glue the fh practice, the envelop issealed by folding the flap thereof into closed position as usual, theglued portion therefor being previously moistened in those cases wherethe glued flap is employed. The eye, of course, registers with andpasses through the opening 11 from the body of the envelop and occupiesa position in alinement with the locking bolt. As the flap is foldedinto closed position the operating string 18 is so arranged as to entendthrough one corner of the envelop, and by drawing on both ends of thestring while the latter engages the shoulder 1.5 of the lock ing bolt,the latter will be moved into locked position, that is to say, it willpass through the eye and thereby prevent opening of the flap, theprojection on the bolt engaging the aperture 17 in the guide and therebypreventing unlocking movement of the bolt. The operating string ispreferably removed after sealing the envelop, and this may beaccomplished, as previously stated, by drawing on. one of the endsthereof.

Envelop seals or fasteners constructed in accordance with the presentinvention are capable of being manufactured cheaply as they may bestamped by the use of dies from sheet brass, aluminum, or other suitablematerial of appropriate gage, and they may be readily applied to theenvelop, and in practice they serve to effectually seal the envelop sothat unauthorized opening thereof cannot be accomplished withoutmutilating the paper or other material composing the envelop, and to dothis would lead to detection.

l/Vhat we claim is 1. An envelop seal or fastener involving an envelop,a longitudinally reciprocable securing part lockable from the interiorof the en velop, and having means for detachably con necting anoperating device thereto.

2. An envelop seal or fastener involving an envelop, a securing partaccessible for operation from the interior of the envelop, and adetachable device operable from the exterior of the envelop foractuating said securing part.

3. An envelop seal or fastener embodying an envelop, a reciprocablesecuring part mounted within and accessible from the interior only ofthe envelop, and provided with means for attaching an actuating devicethereto.

4. An envelop seal or fastener involving an envelop, a movable securingpart mounted Within and accessible from the interior only of theenvelop, and a detachable device operable from the exterior of theenvelop for effectin the locking of the said part.

5. envelop seal or fastener involving an envelo a movable securing partaccessible from t e interior of the envelop only, and a stringdetachably connected to the said part for effecting operation thereoffrom the exterior of the envelop.

6. A device of the character described, embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members adapted to be attached, respectively, to the bodyand flap of the envelop, one of the members having a slidable lockingpart guided to move toward one of the open corners of the envelop andslidable into locking engagement with the other member by the movementof an operating device extending through the said corner of the envelop.

7. A device of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair oflocking members adapted to be secured, respectively, to the body andflap of the envelop, one of the members involving an eye, and the othermember having a part movable toward one of the open corners of theenvelop and adapted to cooperate with the said eye, and an operatingdevice adapted to extend through said corner of the envelop and actuatesaid part.

8. A device of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members adapted to be attached, respectively, to the bodyand the flap of the envelop, one of the members having an eye, and theother member having a reciprocable locking bolt arranged within theenvelop and slidable into locking engagement with the said eye.

9. A device of the character described involving an envelop, areciprocable securing part having means for yieldingly retaining it inan unfastened position and for looking it in fastened position.

10. Adevice of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members, one of the latter having an eye, and the othermember having a slidable. locking part adapted to occupy locked andunlocked positions relatively to the eye, and a pointed lockingprojection inaccessible from the exterior of the envelop for retainingthe said part in locked position.

11. A device of the character described involving an envelo a movablesecuring part mounted within tie envelop and having a string receivingportion, and a string adapted to extend through one of the corners ofthe envelop and detachably engaging the said exterior of the envelop.

12. A device of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members, one of the latter having an eye, and the othermember comprising a guide adapted to be secured to the envelop, and areciprocable securing part mounted on the guide and adapted to cooperatewith the said eye, said part being provided with means for detachablyconnecting an actuating device thereto.

13. Adevice of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members adapted to be attached, respectively, to the bodyand flap ol the envelop, one of the members having an eye, and the othermember comprising a relatively iixed guide, a securing part slidablethereon and adapted to cooperate with the eye, and means for yieldablyretaining the slidable part in unfastened position.

14. Adevice of the character described embodying an envelop, a pair ofcooperating members adapted to be attached, respectively, to the bodyand flap of the envelop, one of the members embodying an eye, and theother member comprising a guide having a loop portion to receive the eyeand provided with longitudinally spaced apertures, and a locking boltslidable on the guide and having a portion adapted to cooperate with thesaid eye, and provided with a resilient projection to cooperate with thesaid apertures.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ENOCH- MERRIFIELD. WILLIAM A. PEEK.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. PADBURY, O. M. MATTHEWS.

part for eflecting the locking thereof from the.

